Mental health issues, and eating disorders in particular—being consistently gendered feminine—are exacerbated, downplayed, and ignored by patriarchal institutions. Frustration on the part of the victimized is understandable, and art can justifiably be deemed escapist in essence. Conversely, I present to you: Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987), a movie that refuses[Read More…]
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
TNC’s ‘Owners’ explores the dynamics of “dis/possession”
Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre (TNC) is a McGill theatre company run entirely by students. Its first production of this season, Owners, is a tragic exploration of love, temptation, and ambition in the age of late capitalism. Written by Caryl Churchill in 1972, Owners is a a two-act play about obsession[Read More…]
‘Blade Runner 2049’ sets a new standard for Hollywood sequels
For decades, it seemed like a Blade Runner (1982) sequel was doomed to be an artistic failure. Arguably Ridley Scott’s magnum opus, the cyberpunk cult classic lives on in major part because of its absolute disinterest in offering clear answers to the questions it raises. The prospect of a follow-up threatened[Read More…]
Album Review: ‘There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light’ – Stars
Since the release of their first album Nightsongs in 2001, Canadian indie pop band Stars has centred its songwriting around strained love. Usually holding on by a thread, though interspersed with spells of enamoured enchantment and thrill, the band’s lyrics stare out on the brink of[Read More…]
‘Persephone Bound’ encourages conversation about consent
According to the McGill University Safety Report for 2015-2016, there were only two cases of sexual assault on both the downtown and MacDonald campuses combined. This is a mere fraction of the reported safety incidents on campus. However, Sexual Assault Statistics in Canada reported that only six assaults for every 100[Read More…]
R.I.P. Tom Petty: A commemorative guide to the rock icon’s deep cuts
On the evening of Oct. 2, legendary rock icon Tom Petty, age 66, passed away surrounded by loved ones after suffering from cardiac arrest. Petty, best known as the frontman of classic rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, leaves behind a rich legacy of music that spans across four[Read More…]
Dual documentary screening looks back on Standing Rock protests
Cinema Politica is a series of politically-conscious documentary screenings, taking place in movie theaters across Canada and the world. The latest edition took place at Concordia on Oct. 2, showing a documentary about the 2016 protests at Standing Rock directed by Michelle Latimer, herself a Concordia graduate. The two-part documentary, featuring[Read More…]
‘Neo Yokio’’s deadpan elegance may prove inaccessible to Netflix viewers
We’ve been living in the supposed “Golden Age of TV” for the better part of two decades. In a time where blockbuster series are generated from obscure Netflix viewer preference data and showrunners regularly do away with the limitations of genre conventions, perhaps the emergence of a show like Neo[Read More…]
‘Professor Marston and the Wonder Women’ empowers its leads
Wonder Woman, one of the most prolific female superheros, only recently entered the Hollywood spotlight, from the smash hit Wonder Woman (2017), to her allegedly expanded role in the upcoming film Justice League (2017). Created in 1941, the character’s incredible origins, however, remained largely unknown. Written and directed by Angela[Read More…]
Album Review: ‘Wake Up Now’ – Nick Mulvey
It’s been six years since Nick Mulvey left the famed jazz band, Portico Quartet, in pursuit of a solo singer-songwriter career. Since then, Mulvey has released one EP and two studio albums—all of them receiving praise, and even a Mercury Music Prize nomination for his 2014 debut full-length First Mind.[Read More…]
